The Many Sources of Evil in the Poetry of Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero was one of the founding members of the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York. Piñero is most remembered for his award-winning play Short Eyes, a work he wrote while incarcerated in Sing Sing prison. Contemporaries of Piñero described him as a man of extremes: on the one hand, Piñero was undeniably a literary genius, but his heavy drug addiction led to his early demise at age 40. Of the many poets to emerge from the Nuyorican Poets Café, perhaps Piñero became the most renown. Piñero was also a recurring star on Miami Vice, where he played a drug dealer named Esteban Calderone. A complete list of his cinematic roles is available herein a listing from the Internet Movie Database. Of course, Piñero is most remembered for his poetry--poetry written by a man who really did live on the streets, who knew his environment intimately.A drug addict in a city that didn't care about him in a nation that only valued the superficial, this led Piñero to question the source of evil, where it springs form, and how how it affects a person. Th intimate knowledge of every facet of New York City inspired him to write some of his greatest poems and address the problem of evil that faced the everyman. Piñero's Poetry Piñero wrote a large number of poems and a considerable amount of plays, the most notable being Short Eyes. In Piñero's impressive body of work, "The Book of Genesis According to St. Miguelito" and "New York City Hard Time Blues" both stand out as some of the most caustic and nuanced poems written. "The Book of Genesis According to St. Miguelito" The poem is a parallel of the seven days of Biblical creation as depicted in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. In Piñero’s allegorical poem, New York is a microcosm of the universe created by a disorganized, uncaring god that creates haphazard public blights “while riding around Harlem in a gypsy cab” (l39). The Biblical order of creation progresses from light on the first day, sky and water on the second day, sea and land on the third, the sun, moon and stars on the fourth, fish and birds on the fifth, animals and man on the sixth, and rest on the seventh day; Piñero’s story of creation progresses from “ghettos & slums” to increasingly disturbing accounts. A look at the above table readily explains that Piñero’s God spends four days of the pivotal week of creation doing nothing. The only creations listed during this first week are the ghettos and slums, their corresponding backyards, and then mankind itself. God is frequently portrayed as negligent; after all, He was “out of town” and “called in sick” during the Biblical parallel of the Sabbath day of rest. Adding to this caustic theological outlook is Piñero’s characterization of God as an addict, a deity Whose “nose was running” (18) when His “jones was coming down” (19), a supreme being who “needed a fix” (22). New York as a Microcosm for the Universe Piñero’s litany of civic evils is difficult to miss in the poem, as is his blasphemous, condemnatory tone against God. These public blights form the soul of the poem :: capitalism :: who begat racism :: who begat exploitation :: who begat male chauvinism :: who begat machismo :: who begat imperialism :: who begat colonialism :: who begat wall street :: who begat foreign wars (46-54). It’s understandable that Piñero sought answers for the plagues of his beloved New York. He looked to the heavens for answers, received none, and filled in the blanks himself: God must be responsible. Alvin Plantinga, author of God, Freedom, and Evil, contends that if a “theist admits he just doesn’t know why God permits evil … What follows from that? Very little of interest. Why anyone suppose that if God does have a good reason for permitting evil, the theist would be the first to know?” (10). Piñero and Theodicy In asking such deep existential questions, Piñero joins the ranks of puzzled theologians and mystified philosophers who for centuries have wrestled with the problem of evil. In his book The Poetics of Evil: Toward an Aesthetic Theodicy, Phillip Tallon contends that the objective of theodicy, is “to attempt to resolve the prima facie tension between the idea of God and the fact of evil” (xviii). St. Augustine’s grappling with evil’s existence is a series of 15 more or less consecutive questions in Chapter 5 of Book VII in his famous autobiography The Confessions of St. Augustine. He begins with “Where then is evil, and whence and by what means has it crept in here?” (162) to “Lastly, why should God will to make anything out of it, and not rather by that same omnipotence cause that is should not exist at all?” (163) At the chapter’s end, he summarizes his findings: “Such things I turned over within my unhappy breast, over-laden with gnawing cares that came from the fear of death and from not finding the truth” (163). Even before his religious conversion, St. Augustine “would not entertain the impious idea that God was the cause of evil”, according to professor and theologian Richard Geraghty, contributor to the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network. Geraghty explains that St. Augustine eventually solved the problem by “discovering that evil, though it is a reality in a way, is not really a full reality or full being. It is only a privation like blindness.” This is a far cry from Piñero’s allegorical iconoclasm of New York. He contends that New York was “set up” by to fail and beget generations upon generations of misery. To Piñero, the world isn’t lacking goodness, as Geraghty contends—it was fashioned that way by a malignant deity. "New York City Hard Time Blues" Piñero's landmark poem is 260 lines long and can be divided into sub-sections. In this poem, Piñero pinpoints the source of evil as coming from within a person, in this case, himself. This evil is more than capable of destroying a person's life, but this internal evil is exacerbated by the evil in society in its many insidious forms. His addiction and other factors lead him to desperately chase anything that will deliver him from his own life. Piñero's Addiction and Vice * Section 1 (lines 1-19) The first 20 lines or so focus on Piñero's inability to get a fix on a Sunday morning as is apparent in lines 14- 19: ::New York City sunday morning means ::liquor store closed ::bars dont' open 'til noon ::and my connection wasn't upping ::a 25 cent balloon (14-18). In doing so, Piñero informs the reader that he is indeed an addict searching for his next high. His dealer's refusal to front him any drugs spurs Piñero's mind to ponder the soul-breaking reality he lives in. The Harshness of Reality in America * Section 2 (lines 20-37) Piñero opens this section with the line "yeah reality wasn't giving me no play" (20) to solidify the indifference with which society regards him. At the end of this section, Piñero repeats this thought with ::hell we all know times are ::hard ::sad ::bad ::all over (33-37) In addition to his dependency on drugs, Piñero also partook in life on New York streets, meaning committing crimes. Leon Ichaso, director of the 2001 biopic Piñero, explains that a controversial scene included in the final cut of the film may not be as true to life as` was intended. Ichaso explains that “a pubescent Piñero is sexually exploited by an older man in a movie theater …but it was the other way around” (Shewey). He explains that when it came to sexual exploitation, ::That was the place to make a buck. Later on he had a taste for street kids who were very much the way he’d been. He got into trouble once for picking the wrong boy, an Italian teenager who wanted to emulate the outlaw picture Piñero presented. Somebody put a contract on him, and theater producer Joe Papp had to put him on a train to Philadelphia to get him out of town (Shewey). This corroborates the anecdotal evidence that Piñero’s contemporaries had polarized opinions of him, describing him as both a literary genius and a degenerate criminal, an “expert and celebrant of the narcotics and sex trades in New York City” (Kanellos viii). Piñero's Iconoclasm and Loss of Faith * Section 3 (lines 38-54) Piñero begins to question why faith has not rescued him as it promises to and reconfirms his break with organized religion. Piñero strikes out against the pope at the time (Paul VI) and explains that he "left my faith in a mausoleum" (47). Clearly irreverent, Piñero's comment is oddly grounded in reality. In his book Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy, Peter de Rosa mentions that Pope Paul VI was the first pope in recorded history to make any kind of mention of his own sexual life, a man who did so “to the consternation of his aides, in a public audience when he denied he was homosexual. The Italian press was full of ‘scandalous rumours’ which he wished to scotch once and for all” (de Rosa 384). Essentially, Pope Paul VI became fed up with the endless speculation of his sexuality, and sought to put a definite end to them. The possible duplicity of this move was not lost on Piñero, who describes the pope as a man "whose sexual collar musta been tighter/than a pimp's hat band" (41-42). Return to Present Time * Section 4 (lines 55-78) This section is characterized by his enumeration of the sad elements of his every day life, including men "crying hard luck tears in beers" (70) and the sound of "winos and junkyard dogs/howling at the moon" (57-58). The section serves as a return to the present after Piñero's poetic voice has wandered off to condemn both American society and the Church. Piñero Turns to Hinduism for Salvation * Section 5 (lines 79-108) After confirming for himself that his life is destitute of any real value, Piñero turns to Eastern religion. The allure of a new religion and its bold promises were understandably uplifting to Piñero, a man desperately seeking something "real" to believe in. The Upanishads are a series of Hindu holy writings that offer insights and lessons about reality and the soul. One of them, the Mandukya Upanishad, explains that the holy word Om, or “aum”, is made up of three sounds, each of which pertains to a particular characteristic. The “A” sound “is the first state of waking consciousness common to all men”, the second “U” sound corresponds to dreaming consciousness, the third sound “M” refers to sleeping consciousness, but when combined together into one syllable—“aum” or “om”—this creates a fourth all-powerful quality: “the fourth state of supreme consciousness. It is beyond the senses and is the end of evolution. It is non-duality and love. He goes with his self to the supreme Self who knows this, who knows this” (The Upanishads 84). It’s not difficult to imagine the amount of influence and sway these words might have had on Piñero, a man whose relationships with others led him deeper into despair at a society so devoid of substance. In the end, Piñero defeats himself because of his impatience; always looking for a quick fix (a rapid rhythm probably established by the instant gratification drugs provide), Hinduism ultimately fails for Piñero too, because he doesn’t understand what faith/religion is and instead seems mired in an inescapable spiritual impotency. In line 103, Piñero says “OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM”, a version of “aum/Om” with 22 letter ms. He follows this with ::it didn’t work ::Om… ::I feel like a jerk ::I’ll try once more just to make sure ::OMMMMM (104-108). The fact that Piñero gives up so easily at trying to invoke the Eastern sanctity of Om and expected for it solve the entirety of his problems all at once demonstrates that he really doesn’t understand how faith or religion works, and this spiritual ignorance probably fed his despair. His desperation for a quick fix is most apparent in lines 124 to 129 where Piñero enumerates figures of faith to rescue him: ::please…J.C… ::OM… ::en la cruz ::down by the river side ::10 hail marys I offer ::and 5 our fathers (124-129) From a point of view, it can be argued that Piñero himself is contending that impatience itself is evil, an evil that comes from within. Piñero Turns to Christianity for Salvation * Section 6 (lines 109-129) The line "en la cruz, en la cruz, yo primero vi la luz" (120) is from a song titled “En la Cruz”, according to Himnos Cristianos. Of all the songs to quote, this hymn has particular significance in that it seems tailor-made for the someone afflicted, someone searching for mercy.' ' One verse explains “''Sobre una cruz mi buen Jesús/Su sangre derramó/Por este pobre pecador,/A quien así salvo'',” (On a cross my good Jesus/shed his blood/for this poor sinner/who was saved in this manner), exalting the saving power of the Messiah. Later the same song proclaims “''Confiar en él es mi placer/ Morir no temo yo''” (Believing in Him is my delight/I’m not afraid to die) and “''Aunque él se fue solo no estoy,/Mandó al Consolador''” (Even though He is gone I am not alone/He sent the Consoler). Perhaps this subconscious desire or a leftover of the song’s power impelled Piñero to embed a line or two in his poetry. New York is Unforgiving * Section 7 (lines 130-169) Piñero peppers this section of the poem with ambiguous references to cold. He explains that the temperature (and overall ambience) of New York is indifferent and uncaring, and therefore society's lack of personal investment in its citizens is yet another source of evil. Lines 132-134 explain that in Piñero's mind, ::I should know its very rare when ::a prayer ::gets the boiler fixed. Furthermore, New York "was whippin/ my ass in a cold blooded fashion/treatin' me like a stepchild" (138-139). This is made more disturbing as Piñero admits that this metaphorical "whipping" occurred "as I tried to get high" (143), which explains that New York society (an allegorical parent/guardian) did nothing to deter him from his life. An Escape West to Los Angeles * Section 8 (lines 170-233) Piñero’s murky lifestyle urged him to seek an escape, and this longing manifests itself in another large section of the poem. The opening lines of the Los Angeles section explains ::and hey that was when I wished I was back in ::L.A. ::laid back ::L.A. ::kick back ::L.A. ::smog town ::Hollywood…driving down to Malibu” (170-177). This section of the poem stands in contrast to the dreary, cold atmosphere of New York, and not just because of its southern latitude. Piñero says that LA sports “manicured thumbs” (187) and “rolled up jeans and silver buckles” (188) as well as a “pretty people and fonzi T shirts” (230)—worlds away from the Big Apple where the struggle to survive is near constant for Piñero. However, Piñero washes off the guild that makes Los Angeles so desirablein comparison to New York. For all its promises of “colgate smiles” (195), LA is portrayed as a place where evil is found in the hearts of businessmen who prey on the gullible, rendering people’s hopes and dreams into husks and shells of their potential glory. Piñero describes a typical LA sight: ::western avenue ::where neon lights scream ::the latest kick in adult entertainment ::masturbation ::enters your thoughts ::when pornographic stars with colgate smiles whisper ::inane ::mundane (190-197) Mere lines later, Piñero speaks of sitting at a ::naugahyde booth ::with some dishwater blond ::with sagging breasts ::wearing a see thru blouse ::and listen to all her 1930s starlet dreams” (208-212). This actress’ dreams have completely evaporated, and Piñero seems to imply this happened as a result of any number of unscrupulous media empresarios or movie producers that live in the shadow of Hollywood. Return to the Harshness of New York * Section 9 (lines 234-260) Even a brief oral reprieve from New York City isn't enough to allay Piñero's anxieties, so he accepts his lot in life and sums up his experience. In the last five lines of the poem, Piñero sums up the uncertainty of his life, the last three being especially stark and memorable: ::but sunday morning in New York City ::for the junkie there ain't no pity ::we just walk the streets with loaded dice ::and hear people say there goes miky ::miky piñero ::they call him the junkie christ... (255-260) The fact that Piñero refers to himself as the "junkie christ" is particularly telling about his mental self-concept of himself. Because Piñero's dice are loaded (in other words, the deck is stacked against him--another gambling metaphor), he knows what the outcome will be: he'll lose. He places himself in good company with Christ in that Christ also knew the outcome of his venture on Earth--He would lose His life. Piñero attempts to help the audience see the positive social change he is attempting through his art and work, but unlike Christ, Piñero ultimately good not conquer himself and succumbed to liver cirrhosis at an early age. References de Rosa, Peter.Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the''Papacy.''New York: Crown :: Publishers, 1988. 384. Web. Geraghty,Richard. “Evil-Is God the Cause?” EWTN. 12 Oct. 2014. Web. “Himnos Cristianos Bellas Melodías.” Himnos Cristianos. 21 Nov. 2014. Web. Kanellos, Nicolás. Introduction.Outlaw: The Poetry of Miguel''Piñero.''Houston: Arte :: Público P, 2010. Web. Piñero, Miguel. “The Book of Genesis According to St. Miguelito.” Aloud: Voices from the '' ::''Nuyorican Poets Café. Eds. Miguel Algarín and Bob Holman. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1994. ---. “La Bodega Sold Dreams.” Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom, and Evil. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans ::Publishing Company, 1974.10. Web. St. Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine Trans. John K. Ryan. Doubleday: New York, ::1960. Print. 162-163. Shewey, Don. “The Prey of Demons, Miguel Piñero Wrote Like an Angel.” The New York '' ::''Times. 2 Dec. 2001. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2014. Web. The Upanishads. Trans. Juan Mascaró. Penguin: New York, 1965. Print.